It’s commonly known that brushing and flossing, along with regular visits to the dentist, are all key steps to maintaining oral health. But another step you can take is to eat healthy foods. Here are a few to be sure to include in your diet.
Water
Alongside healthy foods, the best drink to have is water, which is very helpful in flushing away food debris and preventing it from remaining on the teeth surfaces. Fluoridated water is especially helpful as fluoride helps to make teeth more resistant to cavities. Most U.S. cities now have sources of fluoridated water, so Americans can aid their oral health just by drinking water from their kitchen sink.
Dairy
Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, are not only low in sugar (which is tooth-friendly), but they also contain protein and are full of calcium, which can help to strengthen teeth.
Lean proteins
Meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, and other phosphorous-rich foods help to strengthen teeth and also provide valuable protein.
Fruits and veggies
As if you haven’t been told often enough to eat your fruits and veggies, here’s another reason to. They are high in water and fiber, so they help to balance out the sugars they contain while helping to clean your teeth. Even simply chewing fruits and veggies can be beneficial, as it helps to stimulate saliva production, which washes away harmful acids and food particles.
In addition to making these foods a big part of your daily diet to improve your oral health, try to limit snacking between meals. Frequent snacking exposes the teeth more often to the potentially harmful effects of sugar while decreasing the ability of saliva to neutralize acids. If you do have a craving for some junk food or sweets, have it with a meal instead of multiple times a day.
